Our twentieth recipient, Colonel (Ret) Robert D. Cooper, completed the AMP at Harvard Business School in May 2017.  “Dirk” retired from the Marine Corps in 2019 after 27 years of service.  He currently serves as Vice President, Business Development Navy and Marine Corps Programs for Amentum/DynCorp International, a leading services provider for our nation’s critical defense and security programs and, currently, the largest aviation services provider to the Department of Defense.  Dirk previously served at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. as the Chief of Staff for the Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Headquarters Marine Corps and, before that, as the Expeditionary Air Warfare Branch Head, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Air Warfare Directorate (OPNAV N98).  Prior to his Pentagon tour, Dirk was the Commander of Marine Aircraft Group 31, and commanded Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401, the Marine Corps’ only professional Adversary squadron.  As a Marine F/A-18 pilot, he has deployed numerous times, both land-based and aircraft carrier-based, to the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific holding positions in operations, maintenance, administration and aviation safety.  Dirk is a veteran of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and flew combat missions over Serbia in Operation Allied Force.  His staff assignments include U.S. Air Forces Central Command as Chief of Weapons and Tactics; U. S. Forces-Afghanistan as J-3 Air Officer; Second Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan as Battle Captain, leading the Tactical Air Command Center and as Future Operations Officer.  Dirk served as Executive Officer and Fighter Tactics Instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) instructing in the F/A-18 Hornet and F-16 Fighting Falcon.  He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a BS in Aerospace Engineering in 1992.  He earned a MBA with an International Business concentration from the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina in 2010.  His personal decorations include two Legions of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals, Air Medal-individual action with combat “V”, Air Medal-Strike Flight Award, Joint Commendation Medal, and two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, one with combat “V”.  Dirk has accumulated over 3,300 flight hours primarily in tactical fighters including the F/A-18, F-35, F-16 and F-5.

DIrk and his wife, Mary James, have three children.